BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) 鈥� The Trump administration launched an investigation into the University of California, Berkeley, on Friday centered on foreign funding, making it the latest university to be targeted by the federal government.
The investigation revives criticism from several years ago about the university鈥檚 partnership with China鈥檚 Tsinghua University. It comes after President Donald Trump earlier this week of executive orders focused on universities that he views as liberal adversaries to his political agenda.
One order called for harder enforcement of Section 117, a federal law requiring colleges to disclose foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more.
The Department of Education's Office of General Counsel will investigate "UC Berkeley鈥檚 apparent failure to fully and accurately disclose significant funding received from foreign sources,鈥� Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
UC Berkeley denied the government鈥檚 claims, saying that for the last two years 鈥淯C Berkeley has been cooperating with federal inquiries regarding 117 reporting issues, and will continue to do so.鈥�
The department cited media reports from 2023 about UC Berkeley failing to disclose 鈥渉undreds of millions of dollars in funding from a foreign government" but didn't mention the country.
On May 2023, the Daily Beast reported that UC Berkeley failed to report it got $220 million from the Chinese government to build a joint Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, which the University of California, Berkeley, and China鈥檚 Tsinghua University opened in 2014 in the city of Shenzhen to focus on 鈥渟trategic emerging industries,鈥� according to the institute鈥檚 website.
Last year, by the Republican members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party found that U.S. tax dollars have contributed to China鈥檚 technological advancement and military modernization when American researchers worked with their Chinese peers in areas such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, nuclear technology and semiconductor technology.
In response to the report, UC Berkeley said Berkeley鈥檚 researchers 鈥渆ngage only in research whose results are always openly disseminated around the world鈥� and the school was 鈥渘ot aware of any research by Berkeley faculty at TBSI conducted for any other purpose." The university also said then it would unwind its partnership.
The university said Friday it's no longer affiliated with TBSI.
Last week, the Department of Education demanded records from Harvard over foreign financial ties spanning the past decade, accusing the school of filing 鈥渋ncomplete and inaccurate disclosures.鈥� Trump鈥檚 administration is over the university鈥檚 refusal to accept a list of demands over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests as well as its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
The Associated Press
